Bantustan
/ˈbæn.tuː.stæn/noun
A territory assigned to Black South Africans under the apartheid system, formally presented as a self-governing or independent homeland.
Did you know?Although bantustans were promoted as expressions of ethnic self-determination, South Africa’s apartheid government controlled their borders, economies, and political recognition; no country recognized their claimed independence.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu
Proto-Bantu
*ba-ntu
“People; literally a plural form built from a human-person root”
Ancient to Medieval Persian
Persian
-stān
“Place, country, or land; from an older Indo-European root meaning “to stand””
19th Century
English
Bantu
“A broad linguistic and ethnological term for peoples and languages of much of sub-Saharan Africa”
Mid-20th Century
South African English
Bantustan
“A proposed or established territorial homeland for Black South African ethnic groups under apartheid policy”
1950s–1970s
English
bantustan
“A nominally self-governing homeland created through apartheid legislation and forced population separation”
Modern English
English
bantustan
“An artificial, dependent, or nominally autonomous territory, often used critically beyond its original South African context”
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